Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) hits his head on the turf as he scores a touchdown, as New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport (92) pursues in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) AP

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) tries to pull in a pass against New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) AP

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) celebrates his touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) AP

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Will Fuller (15) in the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) carries against Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby (21) in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) The Associated Press

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) scores a touchdown against New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith (10) pulls in a touchdown reception in the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams (43) intercepts a pass intended for Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller (15) in the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) The Associated Press

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) scrambles as New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) pursues in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passes in the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz celebrates his game-winning 58-yard field goal at the end of regulation in the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. The Saints won 30-28. Butch Dill, AP

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) tries to break a tackle by Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby (21) in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. Bill Feig, AP

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz celebrates his game winning 58-yard field goal with holder Thomas Morstead (6) at the end of regulation in the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. The Saints won 30-28. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) The Associated Press

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) carries for a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) The Associated Press

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) celebrates his touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan tries to bat down a pass by Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) as offensive guard Zach Fulton blocks in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) sacks Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) in the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) The Associated Press

4. Saints (3): This time they avoided heartbreaking loss on national stage, but secondary has work to do if New Orleans is to celebrate 10-year Super Bowl anniversary in style. Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz (3) kicks a 58-yard field goal as Thomas Morstead (6) holds, at the end of regulation, in the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. The Saints won 30-28. Bill Feig, AP

NEW ORLEANS — In the weeks running up to Monday night’s season opener against the Houston Texans, the New Orleans Saints' rallying cry was that it was a new year, a new team. The focus would be completely on the road in front of the team, not back on the painful way last season ended.

And yet, here it was at the start of the fourth quarter, feeling an awful lot like 2018. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Drew Brees gave the Saints their first lead of the night with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tre’Quan Smith.

The fans in the stands, many of whom were making pointed references to that fateful 2018 finish by wearing referee costumes, went delirious. Demario Davis vibed on the sideline as the stadium speakers blared the team’s 2018 anthem, "Choppa Style."

And then, after that familiar sinking feeling of 2018 seemed to return when the Saints lost a lead in the final minute on an unbelievable two-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took a mere 13 seconds off the clock.

But Wil Lutz reminded everyone that it truly was a new year.

The Saints took possession with 37 seconds remaining in the game, used 36 of those seconds to drive to the Texans 40-yard line, and put Lutz on the field to attempt a winning kick. His low-flying line drive cleared the uprights with room, giving the Saints a walk-off 30-28 win.

New Orleans had rallied back from a 21-10 third-quarter deficit, taking the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter and adding to it with a 47-yard Lutz field goal with 50 seconds remaining in the game.

That was when Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson led the remarkable comeback. With an over-the-shoulder dime to DeAndre Hopkins for a 38-yard gain followed by a 37-yard bullet to former Saint Kenny Stills over the middle of the field, the Texans, in the blink of an eye, snatched the lead out of New Orleans hands.

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz (3) kicks a 58-yard field goal as Thomas Morstead (6) holds, at the end of regulation, in the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. The Saints won 30-28.(Photo: Bill Feig, AP)

But with 37 seconds remaining, Brees connected on each of his next three passes to Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn for gains of 15, 11 and nine yards, putting Lutz in position to win it.

The stars came to play on this night. Brees bounced back from a bad early interception to finish the night with 370 yards and a 105.8 passer rating. Alvin Kamara, in his first game as the undisputed head of the Saints backfield, put on a dazzling display with 169 all-purpose yards on 20 touches. Michael Thomas caught nine passes for 112 yards.

The earliest moments of the season opener felt like a countdown to eruption. The fans in the building seemed to be channeling the heartache of last season’s end through their diaphragm, keeping a steady, rumbling roar going throughout the first quarter.

The Saints defense ramped up the anticipation by smothering the Texans the first two series, delivering some punishing blows to quarterback Watson while limiting Houston to just 15 net yards on its first two drives. Brees and the rest of the New Orleans offense seemed poised to light the fuse late in the first quarter, driving deep into Texans territory.

Then, in an instant, the first half flipped on its heels. As Brees scrambled near the Houston goal line, running back Latavius Murray broke free behind the Texans defense. But Brees did not get enough air on the ball as he tried to lob it over linebacker Whitney Mercilus, and the Texans linebacker picked the pass off at the 6-yard line.

The energy that felt like it was building toward a crescendo washed away as Houston followed the interception with a seven-play, 94-yard touchdown drive, keyed by Will Fuller’s brilliant adjustment on an underthrown ball to make a contested catch over Eli Apple for a 54-yard gain on the first play of the drive.

After the next Saints drive stalled again in the red zone, resulting in a Lutz field goal, the Texans again sucked the air out of the building with a methodical 16-play scoring march, a sequence that ended with Watson finding superstar wide receiver Hopkins for the first of their two touchdowns.

Key play: Marcus Williams changed the tide when he roamed from his free safety position over to the sideline to make a leaping interception of Watson’s third-quarter deep ball intended for Will Fuller. To sweeten the deal for the Saints, Hopkins was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness after body slamming Williams to the turf. Four plays later, Brees found Tre’Quan Smith for a go-ahead touchdown pass.

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz celebrates his game-winning 58-yard field goal at the end of regulation in the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. The Saints won 30-28.(Photo: Butch Dill, AP)

Player of the Game: Duh, Wil Lutz. The game-winner was clutch, but so was the 47-yarder he hit a bit earlier to push the Saints lead to six in the final minute. The Texans managed to keep Alvin Kamara in check for the first half, limiting him to just 29 yards on his nine touches. They did not manage to keep it going into the second half. Kamara was a big-play machine for the Saints in the third and fourth quarters, and he finished the game with 169 all-purpose yards on 20 touches.

Injury update: Free safety Marcus Williams left the game with about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and was evaluated in the injury tent. Rookie safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson entered the game for Williams.

Big takeaway: There was a lot of pressure on the Saints to come out firing Monday night, because of the expectations, the way last season ended and the team’s history of slow starts. That pressure was probably amplified after a particularly rough second quarter had them heading into the halftime locker room trailing by double digits. That’s why it was so encouraging to see the way the Saints responded in the second half, snaring their first Week 1 win in six years.